Reverse Falls: Darkness on the Horizon
by Fester Drummond
Summary: During summer vacation, best friends Gideon Gleeful and Pacifica Northwest go to stay with their family friend Susan Pennyworth (affectionately called "Graunty") in Gravity Falls. However, after finding a journal in the woods, they realize that nothing is as it seems. Beginning halfway through the Season 1 finale, follow Gideon and Pacifica as they investigate this strange town.
1. 1-Pines Twins Rising Part 1

**Author's Note: Greetings, all. This is my first fanfiction on this site, and I hope you like it, whoever you may be. This is my take on the Reverse Pines AU of the Gravity Falls Fandom. At the moment, it's just the second half of "Gideon Rises" (I'm splitting this into parts due to the length), but it may grow to be more depending on inspiration.**

 **Just a heads up that there will be violence and hints of violence, but no gore of course. And if some characters meet implied ends...bear in mind that nothing is truly as it seems.**

 **I do not own Gravity Falls, and did not originate the Reverse Pines AU. Enjoy!**

Pacifica could only glance in awe of the giant robot that was rushing toward the bus that Gideon and she were on. Her gut wrenched. The robot was a 50-foot tall replica of the Pines Twins, its' face split down the middle to give each sibling half of the robot's face.

And it was gaining on them.

She turned to Gideon, who looked equally horrified.

"What do we do?" he asked in a panicked tone.

"I don't know!" Pacifica yelled. "What could they possibly want? They got your journal, and we're heading out of town. They won! What would they still want with us?"

" **STOP**!" the automaton yelled, its voice a combination of Dipper's and Mabel's. " **STOP THE BUS RIGHT NOW OR ELSE!** "

Pacifica and Gideon turned to the front of the bus. "Hey!" she yelled to the bus driver. "Floor it! Floor it as fast as you can!"

A familiar teenager glanced back at them, pulling a stray black hair from his eyes and giving them a small finger salute.

"You got it!" Robbie Valentino called from the driver's seat of the bus.

"Robbie!" Pacifica and Gideon exclaimed in unison.

"It's good to see you dorks!" Robbie called back affectionately. Pacifica had never been so glad to have been called a dork in all 12 years of her life.

"What're you doin' drivin' the bus?" Gideon asked.

"When the Murder Hut closed, I was left without a job." The teen said. "Got to pay for gas somehow."

Their conversation was cut short by a pine tree crashing just ahead of them. Robbie swerved the bus to avoid the projectile, throwing the preteens in the back against each other. Another pine tree smashed down in front of the bus, and as Robbie continued to take evasive maneuvers Pacifica looked out the back once more. The robot loomed in the distance, uprooting trees and tossing them towards the moving vehicle. She turned to Gideon, who seemed to be nursing a bruise.

"Are you okay, Gid?" she asked. Gideon nodded, taking a look back at the robot himself.

"D'ya think we can get away, Pacifica?" The fear was evident in his voice. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Gideon, I want you to listen to me." She began. "No matter what, I'm going to keep you safe. Dipper and Mabel aren't going to take you away, because I'm with you and we'll figure this out together like we always do. Understand?"

Gideon seemed to be on the verge of tears, and it hurt Pacifica to see her friend like this. She swore to herself that she'd make good on that promise. Gideon sniffed, and nodded at her. Pacifica smiled.

"Brace yourselves!" Robbie screamed, slamming on the brakes. Gideon and Pacifica were slightly knocked forward, hitting the seats in front of them in the process. The bus hit something, and a tremor passed through it as it screeched to a halt.

Pacifica was aching, but she willed herself off the floor. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gideon reach for something in his pocket, but then retract his hand.

"Are you guys okay back there?" Robbie called.

Before Pacifica could answer, the bus rocked, and she could've sworn they were getting picked up. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a giant arm out the window, pulling them close to the Pines Twins' shared robotic face.

" **WHERE IS THE JOURNAL?** " came Dipper's voice from inside the robot. " **TALK!** "

"Th' journal?" Gideon said. "You have m' only journal!"

"Yeah, so let us go!" Pacifica demanded.

" **WRONG. ANSWER.** " The Pines Twins said in unison. The robot brought the bus down on one of its knees in a sudden movement, snapping the bus in half.

Pacifica and Gideon could barely hear Robbie calling out for them over their combined screams and the air rushing around them as they plummeted to their certain doom in their half of the bus. They fell in the steel trap past the feet of the robot, past some rock, then-

 ** _CRASH!_**

Pacifica looked around in a daze. Miraculously, both Gideon and she were still alive. Their portion of the bus seemed to have fallen on some sort of train track. One that fed into rock faces on both ends…

Pacifica's eyes widened, realizing they were on the railroad tracks overlooking Gravity Falls' famous Hanging Cliffs. She shook Gideon, who stirred and began to help himself up.

"Gid," she said, getting to her feet. "We need to get out of here." He fully rose, nodding along. Pacifica and Gideon exited the enormous hole in the bus and walked onto the tracks. Pacifica, against her better judgement, looked down. It was a long way to the ground.

"'Cifica!" Gideon cried, pointing to a spot above them. Pacifica whirled around just in time to see the Pines Twins' robot leap from the cliff above them and land on the other side of the downed bus. The railroad tracks shook, and Pacifica grabbed Gideon to make sure he stayed steady. The robot advanced, bashing the bus off the tracks and into the abyss below. Pacifica and Gideon turned and ran, only to find themselves at a dead end. They looked back at the robot in terror.

" **OHH, GIIIDDDEEOONNNN!** " came Mabel's voice from the robot, drawing ever closer to them. " **COME HERE, MY DASHING PRINCE!** "

"Leave him alone!" Pacifica shouted. The bot looked at her, and she swore she could see its' brow crease.

" **I DON'T LIKE YOUR TONE, PACIFICA.** " Mabel said. The robot leaned forward, and despite their best efforts, it grabbed Pacifica in one hand and Gideon in the other. The sweat and tears were all too visible on Gideon's face, and it broke Pacifica' s heart.

"Let us go! LET US GO!" she pleaded, pounding on the robot's thick titanium hand. The robot glanced at her for a moment. Then, as if she was yesterday's garbage, tossed her behind itself. She screamed, flying through the air before landing with a solid thud on the cliff above. She could feel cuts and bruises all around, and the pain was agonizing. Something wet started to trickle down her nose, and when she touched it, a red liquid became visible on her fingers. Her eyes began to moisten. Then she heard a desperate cry; turning, she saw the robot walking away, Gideon still in its clutches.

" **WE'LL GET THE LOCATION OF THE JOURNAL FROM YOU, BOY.** " Dipper's voice said from within the robot. " **AND WHEN WE DO, GRAVITY FALLS WILL BOW BEFORE US.** "

" **AND I'LL HAVE YOU ALL TO MYSELF, MY LITTLE PRINCE.** " Mabel's voice said. " **THINK OF ALL WE'LL DO, GIDEON! TOGETHER! FOREVER.** "

" **AND NO ONE WILL EVER DISRESPECT THE PINES FAMILY NAME EVER AGAIN!** " Dipper's voice exclaimed. The Twins' combined laughter echoed from the robot.

Pacifica felt the strength and determination drain out of her, replaced with guilt and defeat. She could hear Dippers' and Mabels' voices in her head, telling her she wasn't good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough to ever measure up to them. Just another face in the crowd, with nothing to make her special. She thought of her parents, and how they'd look at her once they heard what happened. She thought about her Graunty Susan, and how ashamed she must being her caretaker for the summer. But most of all, she thought about Gideon. Her best friend. Her confidant. He depended on her, and she had made him a promise.

She got up, dusted herself off, and ran. Ran as fast as her legs could carry her, stopping only when she had enough distance.

She **had** made Gideon a promise.

And it was a promise she was going to keep.

Pacifica shot forward like a bullet, going as fast as her legs could carry her. Wind whipped around her as she made her way to the cliff face, uttering a silent prayer in her head that this would work. As she planted her foot on the edge of the cliff, she let out a desperate battle cry and leapt. Wind screamed past her ears, and for a slit second Pacifica thought to herself, _this is the worst idea I have ever had!_ She plummeted, the back of the robot's head becoming larger and larger. She was going to splatter against pound upon pound of solid titanium any second now.

Then, a miracle. The robot's head turned, and Pacifica crashed through the glass eye belonging to the Dipper side of the head. Pacifica suddenly found herself flinging through a dark control room, with Dipper and Mabel Pines in the center with odd lightbulb suits on. The Pines Twins barely had time to register what was happening before Pacifica slammed into Dipper Pines at full force, catapulting the two across the room and causing a tremor through the robot. For a split second Dipper glared at her, then slammed headfirst into the side of the robot, his head giving off a sickening **Thwack!** They fell to the ground, and Pacifica saw Dipper's eyes turn glassy before the 12-year-old boy fell forward, unconscious before he even hit the floor. Pacifica's gut churned. Had she-

"What have you done?" Pacifica heard from behind her. She turned to see an enraged Mabel Pines barreling towards her. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Mabel screamed, punching Pacifica straight in the gut. Pacifica balked, and Mabel through a punch that connected with Pacifica's face, causing her to spin backwards. She grabbed at the wall, attempting to regain balance. Mabel, not letting up, lashed out a kick, which Pacifica caught. Pacifica tossed Mabel's leg to the side, throwing the twin off-balance. Pacifica threw a punch of her own, catching Mabel in the shoulder. Mabel growled, once again kicking out. This one caught Pacifica in the leg, and she cried out in pain. Mabel threw a punch, and Pacifica ducked out of the way, causing Mabel's fist to slam against solid metal. Mabel shouted, throwing another punch at Pacifica. Pacifica again ducked out of the way, only to get caught in the downed Dipper's legs. She tripped, hitting the ground hard. As Pacifica tried to get up, Mabel slammed into her from behind, causing her to once again hit the floor. Her whole front side was aching, but she fought through the pain, trying to crawl out from under Mabel. Mabel grabbed one of her arms, pinning it behind her. With her other arm, Mabel gripped Pacifica's neck.

Pacifica tried to squirm, but Mabel's lock was too strong. She could feel Mabel sneering from behind her, maintaining a firm grip on her arm.

"You know," Mabel said from behind Pacifica. "The thing about having Dipper for a brother, I know about all the locks…" she paused for a second, as if savoring the moment. "…and the sweet spots. Where they are, how to find them… and how hard to push."

Mabel suddenly tugged Pacifica's arm behind her in one clean movement, it being followed with a sickening and all-too audible crack. Pain, more pain than Pacifica had ever felt before, shot through her arm and she cried, her eyes getting blurry with tears. Mabel released her from the lock, but the reprieve was short lived. Mabel brought down her elbow on Pacifica's arm, and Pacifica's vision swam.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't…

She felt a pull on her hair, and screamed as Mabel pulled her forward by the hair. She tried to struggle, but the brunette's grip was too strong, and Pacifica was running on fumes. Her arm was on fire, and it was all she could do to stay conscious. She noticed where Mabel was dragging her – the broken eye she had entered the robot from.

 _She's going to throw me out,_ Pacifica realized. Painfully looking up, she could see the grin of triumph on Mabel's face.

"You don't look too good, Pacifica." Mabel said maliciously. "Maybe you could use some fresh air."

This was no longer a fight for Gideon's freedom. Or for her own importance in the universe. It was a fight just to stay alive – for both her and Gideon. Newfound energy and purpose filled Pacifica, and her eyes filled with pure determination.

"Let go of me," she mumbled.

Mabel stopped, looking Pacifica straight in the face. "I'm sorry," she inquired smugly. "What?"

"I said," Pacifica declared, grabbing Mabel's hand and digging her fingernails into Mabel's skin. Mabel's grip began to falter. Pacifica lashed out a kick, catching Mabel in the gut and ridding her of air. "Let." Pacifica pulled Mabel's hand from her head. A few hairs followed, but Pacifica was unfazed. "Go." Before Mabel could react, Pacifica brought her into a head-butt, throwing the brunette off-balance. "Of." Gathering the rest of her strength, she spun, whirling Mabel around with her.

"ME!" she screamed, hurling Mabel into the wall. Her suit shattered, causing the robot to spin around. Pacifica and Mabel struggled around the head for balance, the spinning only increasing. From outside, Pacifica could hear Gideon shout "Be careful in there!"

Pacifica collapsed to the ground, scratching for a handhold with her good arm. She found a chink in the floor, and held on for dear life. Looking up, she saw Mabel grabbing for a handhold herself, finally settling on the cavity where the robot's nose was located. The brunette locked eyes with her, promptly narrowing them. Mabel glanced at her own side, where Pacifica could make out Mabel's signature harpoon gun. The two locked eyes again, and this time Mabel smiled.

"Mabel, don't!" Pacifica called, but it was too late. Mabel let go of the cavity with one of her arms and reached for her harpoon gun. Suddenly, the robot jerked, and Mabel was thrown from the cavity…and straight out the human-sized hole in the robot's eye.

Pacifica could hear the twin's screams slowly fade into the distance, and cringed when she couldn't hear them anymore.

The robot began to shake increasingly out of balance. Pacifica's stomach began to turn, but she held back the sickness she could feel building in her throat. She attempted to spot Gideon on the outside, but she could barely make out his form from her position. He turned to her, and shouted

"'Cifica! We're going over! We're-"

The robot fell off the railroad track, thousands of pounds of metal hurtling towards the solid ground below.

 **Author's Note: Well, that was painful to write! I'll attempt to get more typed up and published soon.**

 **Till next time!**


	2. 2-Pines Twins Rising Part 2

**Author's Note: Well, here we are, with another chapter! This is part two of the Pines Twins Rising arc, which at the moment has two more parts coming. I have decided to continue the story after this arc draws to a close, so it will be continuing into season 2 territory!**

 **If you like the story, please leave a review. Any input is good input, provided that it is constructive.**

 **As always, Gravity Falls and the Reverse Falls AU are not my invention, and thus are not my property.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 *****Previously on Reverse Falls: Darkness on the Horizon*****

 _The robot was a 50-foot tall replica of the Pines Twins, its' face split down the middle to give each sibling half of the robot's face._

 _And it was gaining on them._

 _..._

 _"Brace yourselves!" Robbie screamed, slamming on the brakes. Gideon and Pacifica were slightly knocked forward, hitting the seats in front of them in the process. The bus hit something, and a tremor passed through it as it screeched to a halt._

 _Pacifica was aching, but she willed herself off the floor. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gideon reach for something in his pocket, but then retract his hand._

 _..._

 _"Mabel, don't!" Pacifica called, but it was too late. Mabel let go of the cavity with one of her arms and reached for her harpoon gun. Suddenly, the robot jerked, and Mabel was thrown from the cavity…and straight out the human-sized hole in the robot's eye._

 _Pacifica could hear the twin's screams slowly fade into the distance, and cringed when she couldn't hear them anymore._

 _The robot began to shake increasingly out of balance. Pacifica's stomach began to turn, but she held back the sickness she could feel building in her throat. She attempted to spot Gideon on the outside, but she could barely make out his form from her position. He turned to her, and shouted_

 _"'Cifica! We're going over! We're-"_

 _The robot fell off the railroad track, thousands of pounds of metal hurtling towards the solid ground below._

* * *

Pacifica attempted to hold on to the chink on the floor, to no avail. For a moment, she felt weightless, as if she was flying. She had never told anyone, not even Gideon, but ever since she was a child Pacifica Northwest had wanted to fly. She had dreamt about it on numerous nights, just taking off and flying into the night sky with nothing pulling her down.

Like a shooting star.

But then reality burst back in, taking the form of Pacifica smacking into the interior of the giant's head. She could feel the g-forces pushing against her, confining her to the stretch of metal she was currently trapped on. She attempted to move, to no avail.

 _So this is how it ends,_ she thought to herself. Tears streamed off her face and spattered against the cold, unfeeling titanium behind her. _Falling from the sky inside the head of a giant robot._ Despite herself, she chucked. _I couldn't have seen that coming. Guess there are worse ways to go._ She frowned. _Right?_

She didn't know. All she wanted was another second. Another minute. Another day.

12 years old. She'd reflect on her life, except there wasn't all that much there. She hadn't had the opportunity to grow up. All her plans for the future – graduating high school, meeting a nice boy, having a successful art career – it was all moot. Useless.

She'd never even get to say goodbye to her parents.

Pacifica closed her eyes and waited for the end. And that was when she felt a force all around her body, pulling her away from the metal and bringing her through the air.

She opened her eyes, blinking in confusion. Somehow, she'd been pulled from the giant robot's head, and was floating in midair. She watched the robot finish its fall, crashing into the ground and exploding in a wondrous display of light. She looked around herself, noticing a weird blue glow surrounding her.

A familiar blue glow.

"What the…" she wondered aloud.

"'Cifica!"

 _Gideon?_ She turned her head to where the voice had come from. Indeed, several yards away from her floated the white-haired 10-year old, surrounded in the same blue glow Pacifica was. In his right hand he clutched a small, bluish-green gem that was currently glowing with a bright intensity. Pacifica's eyes widened with recognition.

"The Pines Twins' amulet?" she asked. "How?"

Gideon gave her a small smile. "'Been workin' on repairing it for the last couple weeks 'r so. Thought it might come in handy…" he paused, giving her a significant look. "Guess I was right."

"You think?" Pacifica smiled at him. "You saved us, Gid."

Gideon slowly lowered the two of them to the ground next to the Pines' robot's wreckage. Once they set down, Pacifica's arm flared up and she uttered a small cry, clutching it with her other arm. Gideon rushed over to her, concern spreading on his face.

"What happened to yer arm?" he asked.

Pacifica turned to give him a small smile, but winced instead.

"Mabel," was all she felt like saying on the matter. "Don't worry…it's not that bad…"Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Ok, it is that bad. It hurts like heck."

Sirens suddenly were audible, and the pair turned to see a significant number of cars and ambulances heading toward them on the road behind them, along with a police car. Gideon and Pacifica exchanged glances. _How in the world are we going to explain this?_ Pacifica wondered.

Before they knew it, the vehicles parked nearby, and what seemed like the entire town was rushing toward them.

"What happened here?" they heard someone say.

"There was this huge explosion…" said another.

"Is everyone alright?" Sherriff Shandra Jimenez inquired.

A group of paramedics emerged from the crowd, along with Sherriff Jimenez and Deputy Toby Determined. Despite herself, Pacifica's heart swelled. For once, it was actually nice to see those cops. And once the paramedics took a look at her arm, everything would start to get back on track-

The paramedics ran right past Pacifica without giving either of them so much of a glance.

"Hey!" Gideon called. "M' friend has a broken arm here!"

They completely ignored the children, instead approaching a brunette figure emerging from the wreckage. Pacifica's eyes widened. This wasn't good.

"Dipper!" Deputy Determined exclaimed, helping the twin into the arms of the paramedics. Despite his battered appearance, Dipper shrugged them away. "Are you all right?"

Dipper put on an innocent face. "It…it was them, officer!" he cried, pointing an accusatory finger at Pacifica and Gideon. "They ruined our statue! I tried to stop them, but they beat me up! And then…" His eyes glistened. "They murdered my sister!"

The town gasped, staring at Pacifica and her friend. Jimenez and Determined were already getting out the handcuffs.

"That's a lie!" Gideon exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Pacifica joined in. "They attacked us! They tried to kill us!"

The cops began to approach the pair when a familiar honk stopped them in their tracks. A classy red sedan with tinted windows pulled up aside the parked cars, and the whole town went silent. Out of the driver's and front passenger's seats stepped out two buff Columbian men, dressed in suits and ties. The driver circled around to the front while the man who had been riding shotgun opened the rear side-door. A man in his sixties got out of the car, straightening his shirt collar. Under the evening light, the man's glasses and gold chain necklace glinted brightly.

"What seems to be going on here?" Stan Pines inquired, making his way through the crowd. The Columbian men flanked him, one to his left and the other to his right. Emerging from the throng of people, he surveyed the situation, taking it all in. Finally, he turned to Dipper. "What mess have you gotten yourself into now, kid?"

Dipper's face went red. "I didn't 'get' myself into anything, Grunkle Stan." He gestured to Gideon and Pacifica. "These two hoodlums assaulted my sister and me, and damaged our property."

"Is that a fact?" Stan said, looking at the two.

"They also killed Mabel," Dipper said in a low voice.

Stan seemed to consider this, then turned to officers Jimenez and Determined.

"I'll be taking these children off your hands," he said to them.

"Now listen here, Mr. Pines." Jimenez started. "These children need to be taken in for questioning. I'll not let you-"

Stan stepped toward Jimenez, and she instantly shut her mouth. Stan seized the cop up, then spoke coolly.

"Today is not a day to suddenly be standing up to me, officer." Stan said. "I will have justice for my niece. The children are coming with me."

"They won't be going with any of you!" a voice yelled from behind the crowd.

Everyone whipped around to see yet another vehicle, this one a beat-up mini-van with an assortment of cat faces painted on the sides, come barreling towards them, parking just outside the crowd. The door burst open, and out popped woman in a dress shirt, jacket, and long black skirt. A fez donned her head.

A woman with a lazy eye.

"Graunty Susan!" Gideon and Pacifica cried in unison.

"Oh, no." Deputy Determined said, face-palming himself. "Not this loony lady again."

"Everyone hold your horses!" Susan said. She pointed at Dipper. "You all think the Pines Twins are such perfect little angels, who would never lie to anyone! That they're so cute and cuddly!"

"They're more trustworthy than you!" Jimenez remarked. She paused. "Or rather, they were, God rest Mabel's soul."

Susan paused for a minute, taking in that bit of knowledge. Then she shrugged it off. "Be that as it may, you've all been duped!" She hurried through the crowd to the wreckage of the robot, giving Stan a small frown as she passed. When she reached the mostly intact torso of the robot, she turned back to the crowd. "You all think the Pines Twins are psychic? Well, feast your eyes on this!" With that, Susan pulled down a large panel from the robot's torso, it crashing to the ground with a dull clang. Revealed in the space where the panel had once been was a large room with dozens of monitors, each one displaying a different part of the town – rooms, streets, porches…nearly every nook and cranny of Gravity Falls was visible. And in each screen, the residents were visible, completely unaware of the fact that they were being watched.

The town gasped.

"Hey," Wendy Corduroy said, pointing at a monitor with her guitar. "That's me!"

"I'm on there too!" Thompson cried, pointing to a monitor showing him at a football practice.

The townspeople took a couple of moments to point themselves out to each other on the screens, then collectively turned to face Dipper, slowly making their way towards him.

"Dipper," Deputy Determined began, on the verge of tears. "We gave you our trust."

"You **lied** to us!" Wendy exclaimed, raising her guitar above her shoulder in a threatening manner.

"Whoa, whoa, folks," Dipper said nervously. "Even with all this, my sister's still gone!" He pointed to Pacifica and Gideon once again. "And they're responsible!"

The crowd stopped, and turned to face the friends. Pacifica put her good arm around Gideon.

"Whatever happens," she whispered. "I'm glad to have you as a friend." She steeled herself. _Might as well tell them what happened,_ she thought. She stepped forward, gathering her thoughts as the town looked to her. She could feel Dipper's glare and Stan's measured stare, and tried her best to ignore them.

"Ok," she started. "So-"

" **You. Witch!** "

Pacifica whirled around, noticing the latest newcomer appearing from the trees. She rubbed her eyes with her good arm to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, a battered and bruised Mabel Pines was stalking towards her, her eyes like fire and her voice like venom.

"You could have killed me!" Mabel exclaimed, unaware of the onlookers. "I'm going to bury you! I'm going to cut you to pieces, burn those chunks, and feed you to my pig!" She pulled out her harpoon gun. "I'm going to-"

Suddenly noticing that she had an audience, Mabel stopped dead in her tracks. She looked to her brother, who gave himself an audible facepalm.

"Well," Sherriff Jimenez said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're looking well for a dead girl." Determined gave Dipper a measured stare, who in return slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Dipper and Mabel Pines," Sherriff Jimenez declared, pulling out handcuffs. "You are under arrest for assault, conspiracy, and…" Jimenez sniffed. "For breaking our hearts."

Deputy Determined clumsily slapped a pair of handcuffs over Dipper's hands, and Jimenez began to make her way over to Mabel. Both twins' eyes widened with surprise.

"Wait, you can't do this!" Dipper pleaded.

"Grunkle Stan, do something!" Mabel demanded.

Sherriff Jimenez stopped dead in her tracks, and all eyes turned to the old gangster. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and sighed.

"Jorge, Rico…" he spoke, his Columbian bodyguards coming to attention. "…get me outta here."

Dipper and Mabel gasped, Dipper letting out a string of curses at his uncle. Stan turned to leave, Jorge and Rico following behind him. He stopped for a moment, nodding to Graunty Susan.

"Always a pleasure, Susan." he said, winking at her. Her face didn't give away any emotion. Stan chuckled to himself, finishing his trek to his sedan.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel yelled. "Get back here!"

The old man ignored her, his bodyguards helping him into his seat and closing the door. The sedan drove off, leaving only a trail of dust in its wake.

Pacifica turned to Mabel, a grin slowly growing on Pacifica's face. Relief flooded the blonde, and a peace that Pacifica hadn't felt in a long time touched her. Dipper and Mabel were going to jail, the town was finally recognizing the twins for what they were, and neither Gideon nor she would have to worry about them ever again.

For a split second, all was well.

Then Mabel took aim with her harpoon gun and fired.

Time seemed to slow down. Pacifica could see the gleaming metal barb rushing towards her, a trail of rope following it closely from the barrel of the gun. She could see that it was aimed dead center at her chest. She attempted to move out of the way, but her arm decided now was the time to send a wave of pain through her body. She dropped to a knee, the harpoon now rocketing straight for her head. Pacifica shut her eyes…

And there was silence.

Pacifica opened her eyes, amazed to see that she was still alive. She touched the ground just to be sure, and felt the grass against her hand. Yes, miraculously, she was still living.

That's when she heard the pained gurgle in front of her.

She looked up, noticing a small wall of flesh shielding her from where the path of the harpoon had been. From over the person's shoulder, she could see Mabel's face, which was plastered with utter shock.

"Gideon?" Pacifica asked hesitantly.

The boy with white hair slowly turned to her, a pained expression on his face. In his hand glowed the Pines Twins' amulet, and sticking from his upper chest area…

…was a harpoon, lightly glowing blue.

"'Cifica?"Gideon breathed, a tear coming from his eye.

"Gideon!" Pacifica screamed, the boy falling unconscious in her arms. Her injured arm roared in pain, but she fought it back. "Doctor! Someone get a doctor **now**!"

The town seemed to snap from its daze, and sprang into action. The group of paramedics, previously having attended to Dipper, rushed to Gideon's side, cutting the rope connecting the harpoon to Mabel's gun and rushing the boy to an ambulance. Pacifica and Susan rushed after them, desperation giving their every step purpose. Out of the corner of her eye, Pacifica could see Sherriff Jimenez and Deputy Determined roughly escorting the Pines Twins away. Dipper was enraged, declaring that the town needed them and that they'd be back. Mabel retained her shocked expression, constantly muttering to no one in particular.

"He just…" Mabel said. "I didn't mean…I…he…he was my prince…"

Pacifica turned her full attention to her friend, who was being loaded into an ambulance. The paramedics were already hooking him up to oxygen. She felt a void open up in her chest.

 _Don't leave me, Gid,_ she thought desperately. _Not after all we just lived through._ She shut her eyelids tightly, her eyes raw from all the tears that day. This time, however, no tears came.

Just that empty feeling that wouldn't go away.

A hand rested on her good shoulder. Pacifica looked up to see her Graunty Susan, who gave her a comforting expression. Pacifica rested her head on Susan's gut, and Susan patted her head. They stood like that for a few minutes, until the ambulance left and some of the town had gone on its way.

"C'mon kid," Susan said. "Let's get ourselves to the hospital."


	3. 3-Pines Twins Rising Part 3

**Author's Note: Back again! Just a thing to note beforehand, the events of season 1 in this universe played out in a similar fashion to how they did in the show, just with some slight alterations (including the obvious character swaps). So this means that Bill (or in this universe, Will) did invade Graunty Susan's mind in the Dreamscaperers arc of this universe, though the circumstances were slightly different. More on this another time. I might try to do a chapter somewhere where I outline the basic events of season 1. We'll see if that happens.**

 **As always, I do not own Gravity Falls or the Reverse Pines AU original idea.**

 **See you on the other side...**

* * *

 *****Previously on Reverse Falls: Darkness on the Horizon*****

 _For a split second, all was well._

 _Then Mabel took aim with her harpoon gun and fired._

...

 _"Gideon?" Pacifica asked hesitantly._

 _The boy with the white hair turned to her, a pained expression on his face. In his hand glowed the Pines Twins' amulet, and sticking from his upper chest area..._

 _...was a harpoon, lightly glowing blue._

 _"'Cifica?" Gideon breathed, a tear coming from his eye._

 _"Gideon!" Pacifica screamed, the boy falling unconscious in her arms._

* * *

For the longest time, it was all darkness. Gideon didn't mind that – it was peaceful. The past few weeks had been really fun, more fun then he'd ever had in his life – but the stress that came with it was definitely something else entirely.

Then, of course, there was the fact that he'd almost died. That in itself was a sign he needed a bit of a break.

But all good things had to come to an end, and soon the calm, never-ending void was gone. And the nightmares began.

Gideon found himself in the Murder Hut, next to a very terrified Pacifica. It was very dark, probably nighttime. They were surrounded by numerous human-like creatures with rotten flesh, which were rapidly closing in on them. One picked up Pacifica, about to bite into her. Gideon called out-

and they were now running through some sort of underground area, the dirt being kicked up behind them. A snarl echoed from behind, causing Gideon's legs to run ever faster.

"It's gaining on us!" Pacifica yelled. Gideon glanced over his shoulder-

to see the scene had once again changed. He was now in some sort of alleyway. A tall, thin man with a variety of tattoos on his bald head was running, glancing back in search of something. He tripped on a downed garbage can, falling on his face and crying in pain.

"Ivan Wexler," came a voice from the opening of the alleyway. Gideon glanced towards the source of the voice. Entering the alleyway was a figure in a red robe, their face covered with a hood displaying the symbol of a crossed-out eye. Their presence cast a dark, looming shadow in the alleyway, and Gideon could tell this "Ivan" person was completely and utterly terrified.

"What is it that you have seen?" the figure said menacingly.

Once again, the world around Gideon changed, this time settling on some sort of prison visiting-area. In front of Gideon stood a wall with people sitting at multiple stations, facing glass windows and holding telephones to their ears. Visible on the other side of the windows were prisoners, talking or listening in to similar phones and sitting at similar stations. On his side, he could see Pacifica sitting at the far edge of the room; she was talking on a phone to someone he couldn't see. He began to walk forward to get a better look.

"Look," Pacifica was saying in an uncharacteristically rough tone. "If there were any better options, trust me, I'd take them. But if what Gideon and I have found is true, you're the only one who can help us." Her frown deepened, listening to whoever this mystery prisoner was. "Just to be clear, we'll be watching you the whole time. If you try **anything** , you'll wish you we never got you out."

Gideon arrived at her station, finally able to see who Pacifica was talking to. He gasped, his gut sinking.

Dipper Pines, fresh in prison orange, grinned from behind the window in front of them.

"Well," came his muffled voice from the telephone. "who can say no to that?"

Before Gideon could fully process this, the world once again changed. He was now in another underground area, this one larger than the last one. The pieces of some form of gigantic metal device were scattered everywhere. He noticed Pacifica, Robbie, and Graunty Susan on the ground, bruised and recovering from something. A chuckle emanated from the other side of the area, and Gideon looked up to see a man stepping away from a large, glowing circle that was slowly fading. The man was dressed in all black, with a gun slung over his shoulder and his face hidden. He seemed to be observing the area around him as if it was familiar, yet he hadn't been there in a long time.

"30 years," the man stated. "30 years to prepare, and you still couldn't stop me from returning…"

The scenes were now shooting past Gideon a million miles a minute, and he was only able to make out a couple of them. Stan Pines, atop a podium, addressing a crowd. A six-fingered hand. Pacifica talking to…a unicorn? None of this was making any sense…

One final scene erupted in front of Gideon. The town of Gravity Falls was on fire. The sky was orange, and a humungous, nightmarish 'x' was ripped right through it.

In the middle of it all was Graunty Susan, staring down a gigantic humanoid creature made of space, galaxies, and stars. Susan was nursing an injured arm, and she was holding something in her hand that he couldn't quite make out. Her expression was that of defiance.

"Susan Pennyworth," the creature boomed, its voice seeming to come from everywhere at once. "So it all comes down to this."

Susan didn't answer.

"Frankly, I'm surprised." The creature continued. "I anticipated at least **some** resistance. Aren't you going to fight back?"

"Just do what you're going to do," she answered.

"As you wish," the creature said. It gestured with its hand, and Susan began to contort with pain. Gideon tried to run towards her, but his feet were firmly stuck in place. Susan began to glow, becoming brighter and brighter by the second. Gideon had to shield his eyes, she was so bright. It was as if anything resembling Graunty Susan was gone, replaced with the most blinding light Gideon had ever seen. Then, all of a sudden, the shining form that had once been Susan Pennyworth burst into a million tiny pieces of light. Gideon cried out, his gut wrenching in pain and sorrow. The tiny lights were absorbed into the creature, becoming stars within its' universe-esque form. Then it turned to face Gideon, and though the creature had no face, Gideon could tell it was smiling.

"No more peeking, boy." The creature said, gesturing toward Gideon. Gideon felt queasy for a second, and then the world crumbled into nothing in front of him.

He was once again back in the void, but this time he wasn't alone. Floating in front of Gideon with his back turned to him was a glowing blue triangle with a bowler hat and chained limbs.

"What're you doin' here?" Gideon exclaimed.

Will Cypher turned to Gideon, a dejected look on his face – well, as dejected a look as a one-eyed blue triangle without a mouth could manage.

"Not a great preview, huh Pinetree?" he spoke dejectedly. "Wish it were just a cinematic preview. That way I could just skip the flick, ya know?"

"What…what was all that?" Gideon asked.

"What you just observed was a small glimpse into the future," Will stated. "Don't ever say I never gave you anything."

"Can it be stopped? Can we do sumthin' t' make sure those horrid things don't happen?"

"There is no changing fate." Will looked down at the chains on his hands. "Trust me, I know. You can only make do with what you got. Accept what's coming and try to roll with the punches…" Will stared into empty space with that last comment.

"There's gotta be sum'n!" Gideon with determination. "Me and 'Cifica will find a way. We'll make preparations, and make sure-"

" **Don't you get it?!** " Will shouted, instantaneously growing to the size of a building, his eye on Gideon. " **You. Can't. Stop. This! Big things are coming, Pinetree, and your naive optimism isn't going to fix anything!** " Gideon backed up, and Will shrank back down to size.

"I…I'm sorry for yelling," Will apologized.

"Why show me all this?" Gideon inquired. "What was the point?"

Will shrugged. "Figured I owed you and your friend for invading your guardian's mind a couple of days ago," he said. "This was really the only thing I could give you. My hands are otherwise tied." The dream demon held up his chained hands to make his point.

Suddenly, everything started to get blurry. Will started to go in and out of focus.

"Well," he announced. "That's my cue to leave." He began to glow brightly, a vortex opening up behind him. "Remember: happiness is a lie! Lions hide gold chains in their manes! Silver's rarer than gold! **Oh gosh whyy**?" As he shouted the last sentence, his chains caught in the wormhole, and Will was sucked inside. Everything flashed.

Gideon woke with a start. Breathing heavily, he took in his surroundings. He was in a hospital gown, laying in a bed within a bland-looking room. Florescent lights lit up a room with white walls, giving the whole thing a bit of a monochromatic feel. On the wall was a poster of a zebra resting in a field of tall grass. This would have been a calming sight, if not for the cheetah located in the background, ready to pounce. Gideon frowned. Gravity Falls was weird.

"Gideon!"

Pacifica came out of nowhere and gave Gideon an enormous hug, and a sudden pain flared in his chest. Pacifica, for her part, seemed to have forgotten the cast on her arm, pulling away as quickly as she had hugged him. They both let out a pained yelp, which turned into a small bout of laughter.

"Howdy, 'Cifica." he greeted. He gave his friend a warm smile, who grinned back. "How long've I been out?"

Pacifica frowned. "A couple of days, Gid. We were all so worried about you. Your parents flew in as soon as they heard – they're here too."

Gideon let that sink in. "What 'bout the Pines Twins? What happened w' them?"

"They're in jail," Pacifica declared. She gave him a small smile. "And I don't think they'll be out anytime soon."

A weight lifted off Gideon's shoulders. No longer would he have to worry about Mabel, or Dipper for that matter. _At least for now,_ he thought to himself, frowning as he remembered what he had just seen. His gut did a small flip. If what he saw was really the future, both he and his friend would have some tough days ahead.

"Hey," Pacifica asked, picking up on his change of mood. "Are you alright?"

Gideon looked at his best friend. Her face was brimming with concern. Should he tell her? There was no use in worrying her right now. They'd been though heck and back together the last few days, and they both deserved a break. But he'd never kept anything from Pacifica before…

Gideon sighed.

"I'm alright," he told her in a convincing tone. "It's all gonna be alright from here on out."

* * *

 **AN: Lies! Deception!**

 **The Pines Twins' Rising arc will be concluding next week. Till then!**


	4. 4-Pines Twins Rising Part 4

**Author's Note: Hello again! So here we are, with the conclusion/epilogue of the Pines Twins Rising arc! And though there will be no Pines Twins in this chapter...It's definitely not the last we've seen of them.**

 **So, what I've decided to do next week is to (instead of uploading the first part of the Scare-Oke arc) upload a rundown of the events that took place in Season 1 of this universe, just to clarify some final things before delving into Season 2. The story should be continuing on schedule in two weeks time.**

 **Just as a side note, the other employee of the Murder Hut (aside from Robbie) is Tambry.**

 **As always, I do not own Gravity Falls, and I was not the originator of the Reverse Pines idea.**

* * *

The next few days passed with varying speed. Pacifica visited Gideon at the hospital every day, and sometimes Graunty Susan, Robbie, and Tambry would tag along. At first, Gideon feared sleep, believing that if he surrendered to rest that the visions would come again. But after a few brief naps passed without incident, Gideon began to sleep peaceably again. When he wasn't sleeping or spending time with Pacifica, Gideon was pouring over his journal, which had been miraculously recovered by Pacifica from the wreckage of the Pinesbot (as he and Pacifica had taken to calling the Pines' giant robot).

Finally, after spending a grand total of a week at the hospital, Gideon was able to come back to the Murder Hut. It had taken his parents some convincing to let him stay for the rest of the summer, but after Gideon expressed his attachment to the town and Graunty Susan gave them the assurance that nothing like this would **ever** happen again, they had finally relented. Pacifica had already moved their things back into their room, but Gideon noticed that it was all a little **too** organized for his liking, so they spent some time putting his possessions back into the ordered mess he was comfortable with. By the day's end, things were getting back to normal. Gideon was on his bed reading the journal while Pacifica was jumping on her bed when Graunty Susan came in the room with a tray of hot chocolates.

"How are you kids settling in?" she asked. Pacifica hopped off her bed, taking one of the drinks and sipping it happily. Gideon took the other one, and Susan sat next to him on the bed.

"It's all cumin' back together, Graunty Susan." Gideon replied.

"Yeah!" Pacifica added. "Everything's back where we left it. Every item, creak, and stain." She pointed to a particularly nasty stain on one of the beams above them. "Even you, Daryl."

"Graunty Susan," Gideon said hesitantly. "Me 'n 'Cifica have been thinkin', and we decided it's high about time we showed you sum'n." Pacifica sat down on the other side of Gideon, taking another sip of her beverage. Gideon held up the journal for Susan to see. "This here's a journal that ah found in th' woods at the beginnin' of summer." He handed it to Susan, who began perusing through it, seeming to be deep in thought. "It documents many of th' oddities and paranormal goings-on of th' town. We don't know who wrote it or what happened to 'im-"

"Or her," Pacifica added.

"Or her," Gideon agreed. "But whatever it was, it proves that paranormal things are goin' down in Gravity Falls, and we think you have a right to know."

Graunty Susan lingered on the book for a second, then turned to the friends.

"I'm glad you kids showed me this," she spoke. She closed the book, along with her good eye, taking in a breath.

"Now I know where you've been getting it all from!" she exclaimed, looking at them with her good eye. "Magic and monsters! This book's been filling your head with conspiracies!"

"They're not conspiracies!" Gideon defended. "It's all real! I'm telllin' ya!"

"You need to get your head outta stuff like this and read something more worthwile, like quilting magazines!" Susan chuckled. "Though, I do admit, some of this would make great attractions." She pointed to a page that had an illustration of a ball of yarn with a human face and emotions on it. "Can't come up with this stuff!" She rose, taking the book and her tray with her out the door.

"Mind if I borrow this?" she asked, not really waiting for an answer. Her amused laughter continued even after she left the room.

"Graunty Susan!" Gideon called. "Ah need that!"

"No you don't, Gid." Pacifica said, getting up off the bed. "Don't you see? Neither of us ever needed that journal. You repaired the Pines Twins' amulet all by yourself! You saved my life!" She gestured to herself. "And I jumped off a freaking cliff and took on the Pines Twins all by myself! We both did things that no one would have thought possible, and we did it without that old book!" She put her good arm on her hip and struck as heroic a pose she could manage with her cast. "We're **both** heroes."

Gideon considered this. "Huh. I guess you're right, 'Cifica." He frowned. "Ah still want the book back though."

"Graunty Susan will give it back, Gid." Pacifica assured him. "I mean, what would she want it for, anyway?"

The conversation was interrupted by two small blasts of water hitting them. They turned to the doorway to see Robbie grinning, holding twin water guns in his hands.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist. "Water gun Robbie!"

Pacifica and Gideon laughed, chasing the teenager through the halls of the Murder Hut.

* * *

It was midnight. Susan had made sure that Robbie and Tambry had left and that Gideon and Pacifica were both asleep before making her way to the vending machine in her nightgown. Glancing around, she made sure she was alone before she typed in the code into the machine. The machine swung from the wall, revealing a secret entrance.

Taking one last look around, Susan entered and swung the machine back into place behind her. She took a pre-lit lantern from the wall and walked down a dirt hallway, stopping in front of an elevator. Above it was a half-circle dial with the numbers 1, 2, and 3 lining the rim. To the side of the elevator doors was a keypad with a variety of odd shapes and symbols being depicted on the buttons. Susan punched in a code, and a small creak came from the elevator doors. They briefly shuddered, opening to reveal a slightly beaten and rusty interior. Susan stepped into the elevator shaft, and the doors closed behind her. She looked to a terminal with three number keys, tapping on the one labeled '2.' The elevator quickly descended. It opened to a wooded door with several intricate patterns carved into it.

Susan took out a key from her nightgown, unlocking the door and opening it to a large, darkened study. Closing the door behind her, Susan flicked the light switch, and the room illuminated to reveal a treasure trove of items and artifacts. The walls were decorated with paintings of the town, along with painting of multiple people interacting with a glowing blue presence that seemed to always be just out of view. The floor was decorated with intricate carpets decidedly patterned with triangles. The room was lined with many chest-high pillars, each topped with an ancient artifact or obscure oddity. At the far wall was a large desk, which Susan approached. Putting down the lantern, she pulled out the chair. Sitting down, she rubbed her eyes.

Sighing, she opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a large wooden box. Feeling the textured wood, she turned her attention to the carving that operated as the box's lock mechanism. It was a symbol that was admittedly simple, yet had grown to mean a lot to her over the last thirty years.

It was of an eye, crossed-out with an elongated 'x.'

She clicked the center of the eye, the wood giving in slightly. She retracted her thumb, and the eye emitted a small red light. Pulling up her eyelid from her bad eye and placing it in front of the red beam, she let the device scan her iris. The red light disappeared after a few seconds, and a slight click notified Susan that the box had opened. Lifting the lid, she placed her hand inside and retrieved the volume it contained.

It was a worn, red book with a golden, six fingered hand illustrated on the front. Inside the hand was a bolded '1.'

"After all these years," she muttered, putting the box aside and getting out the other two journals from another cabinet, where she had hidden them earlier. She placed the journals in front of her on the desk, in numerical order. "Finally, I have them all."

Susan opened each volume, stopping in each one at the pages with an intricate design taking up the entire two-page spread. She put them all together, and they formed a complete picture. Susan frowned, then reached for an old rotary phone located near the back of the desk. She picked up the receiver, putting it to her ear while she input a number into the rotary dial she had taken great care to remember.

After a minute, she heard a click from the receiver, and the voice of an old man answered her.

"To what do I owe the call at this hour?" the voice asked.

"We need to talk." Susan responded.

"We're talking right now," the voice pointed out.

"This needs to be face-to-face." She paused. "I have them. The journals. All of them."

Silence. "Are you absolutely sure?" the voice said eventually.

"Dead sure."

Another pause. "Then there's no time to waste. When can we meet?"

"I'm throwing a victory party tomorrow for the kids. Should be a good cover for us to slip away at some point."

"Understood. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow." Susan hung up the phone, sitting back in her chair.

"Here we go," she said to herself.


	5. 5-Normal (Scary-Oke Part 1)

**Author's Note: So, change of plans. Last week, I said that I would upload a basic rundown of how season 1 went in this version of the Reverse Pines AU. Instead, what I'm going to do is establish the differences here, in this Author's Note, and give you a chapter furthering the story to go along with it. If I don't describe the differences in the episode, assume it transpired in a similar fashion as the show, just with the obvious character swaps in this AU.**

 **So yeah, long Author's Note. But hey! An actual chapter to go with it!**

 **-Instead of going fishing and tracking the Gobblewonker, the gang went camping and Gideon, Pacifica, and Robbie track the Abominable Bro-man. The Bro-man turns out to be a robot operated by a crazed Tate Mcguncket, desperate for his father's attention (Fiddleford is a park ranger in this world).**

 **-In "The Inconveniencing," it is established that Gideon has a crush on Tambry, who is an employee at the Murder Hut and an aspiring fiction writer. The members of Robbie and Tambry's friend group are the same people, but they lead different lifestyles than in the canon. Thomson is a football player, and is not as much of a pushover. Wendy is a gothic guitar-player – pretty much the canon Robbie of this universe. Lee and Nate are total nerds, and bicker about many fandom related things.**

 **-"Irrational Treasure": In an effort to prove that the Pines' ancestor did not found Gravity Falls, Gideon and Pacifica discover that 8 ½ President Eustace Befufftlefumpter was the true founder.**

 **-"Time Traveler's Pig": Pacifica gets a chicken named Feathers. Nate and Tambry start going out. Instead of Blendin, the friends get the time traveling device from Time Baby, who is baby-sized and has no powers. Time Baby is arrested by two members of the Time Anomaly Enforcement Squadron: Xyler and Kraz.**

 **-"Fight Fighters": Tambry goes on a trip with her family. The teen gang (along with Gideon and Pacifica) play a haunted fight video game that ends up sucking them all in. Literally. This eventually turns into a 3-way fight between those who want to spend the most time with Tambry: Nate (who's going out with Tambry and doesn't appreciate Gideon's competition), Gideon (who likes Tambry and doesn't like that Nate is going out with her), and Wendy (Tambry's best friend, who is in this fight because Tambry is her closest friend, and has had to spend less time hanging out with her due to her going out with Nate). In the end, they all bury the hatchet. More or less.**

 **-"The Deep End": Pacifica falls for Mermanatee, a half-man half-manatee combo, who she finds in the Gravity Falls pool and eventually has to take to the lake (so he can go on his way to find his family). Tambry and Wendy are the lifeguards, temporarily allowing Gideon to work with them. The pool is run by that one kid who did time in pool solitary in the canon. Oh, and Poolcheck is a total pool anarchist, hoping to cause as much trouble as possible in the pool area.**

 **-"Dreamscaperers": Included in Journal 2 is a binding spell to bind Will Cypher to the will of whoever utters it, which is used by the Pines Twins so that he will invade Graunty Susan's mind. Instead of Xyler and Kraz, we are introduced to the stars of the Daryl Blubs Show (this universe's Andy Griffith Show, which Pacifica loves watching), Sherriff Blubs and Deputy Durland.**

 **As always, Gravity Falls is not mine, and I did not originate the Reverse Pines idea.**

* * *

 *****Previously on Reverse Falls: Darkness on the Horizon*****

 _One final scene erupted in front of Gideon. The town of Gravity Falls was on fire. The sky was orange, and a humungous, nightmarish 'x' was ripped right through it._

 _In the middle of it all was Graunty Susan, staring down a gigantic humanoid creature made of space, galaxies, and stars. Susan was nursing an injured arm, and she was holding something in her hand that he couldn't quite make out. Her expression was that of defiance._

 _"Susan Pennyworth," the creature boomed, its voice seeming to come from everywhere at once. "So it all comes down to this."_

...

 _"What…what was all that?" Gideon asked._

 _"What you just observed was a small glimpse into the future," Will stated. "Don't ever say I never gave you anything."_

 _"Can it be stopped? Can we do sumthin' t' make sure those horrid things don't happen?"_

...

 _"Hey," Pacifica asked, picking up on his change of mood. "Are you alright?"_

 _Gideon looked at his best friend. Her face was brimming with concern. Should he tell her? There was no use in worrying her right now. They'd been though heck and back together the last few days, and they both deserved a break. But he'd never kept anything from Pacifica before…Gideon sighed._

 _"I'm al right," he told her in a convincing tone. "It's all gonna be alright from here on out."_

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _For the third time that night, the wheel appeared before him._

 _It surrounded a familiar triangle, glowing in an ominous bright blue. The wheel was splintered into ten parts, each containing a simplistic, yet meaningful symbol. What each symbol meant, he had no clue._

 _The Pine Tree._

 _The Shooting Star._

 _The Fish._

 _The Llama._

 _The One-Eyed Pentagram._

 _The Question Mark._

 _The Stitched Heart._

 _The Pair of Glasses._

 _The Winding Stream._

 _And the Bag of Ice._

 _The triangle trapped within the never-ending circle of symbols was chained-up by its' arms and legs. Donned on its head was a bowler hat, and a bow-tie was visible over its' interior brick-like patterns. In the direct middle of the triangle was an eye, one with a pupil staring at the ground in defeat._

 _The eye blinked._

 **...**

Gideon's eyes opened, a gasp escaping from his mouth. For a second, he had to think about where he was. Then it hit him.

He was back at the Murder Hut.

The Pines Twins were in jail.

His chest wound was healing.

And he had every reason to be happy…

except for the visions.

Gideon frowned. Ever since he had a near death experience with a harpoon (courtesy of Mabel Pines), he'd been haunted by the same nightmarish scenes and images. Until last night, he had been able to at least find some semblance of peace in sleep. However, the bout of rest he had just emerged from had been far from peaceful. The visons had leaked into his sleep in bits and pieces, occasionally accompanied by the same wheel of symbols. Will Cypher had said it was all a preview of things to come. Gideon wasn't sure if he should believe that – after all, Will had invaded Graunty Susan's mind a week ago to steal the combination to the Murder Hut's safe. But something about it all seemed so…sincere. Honest.

And that was what scared Gideon the most.

He shook his head. There was no use worrying about it now. It was going to be his first full day back from the hospital, and he intended to make the most of it. For, out of all the mysteries he had encountered so far, there was one that bugged him above all others. One question had been rattling around his head persistently ever since the first week he had stepped foot in Gravity Falls.

Who wrote the Journal?

During the days where he was actually **conscious** at the hospital, Gideon had contemplated this constantly. Well, when he wasn't freaking out over the scenes Will had shown him, or talking to Pacifica. Or thinking about Tambry. He had done quite a lot of thinking about that as well. But still, he had thought about who the Author was for hours on end, coming up with ideas and theories. Yet nothing was clicking together. Gideon resolved that, next to preventing potential upcoming tragedies, he would get to the bottom of this mystery by the end of the summer.

It was time to get to work.

Gideon got up and got dressed into his typical attire – shorts, a red t-shirt, and a sleeveless jacket. His chest flared up in pain when he was pulling on his shirt, and he winced. He hoped he would heal soon. Having difficulty getting dressed was a little demeaning. Finally, he put on his signature pine tree cap, and began to make his way downstairs. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He reached the bottom of the stairs, making sure to avoid stepping on Graunty Susan's cat, Mr. Catface, on the bottom step. He paused. There were voices coming from the next room – more voices than were usually in the gift shop at this hour. Frowning, Gideon turned the corner to the gift shop-

to find dozens of the town's residents all packed inside, their attention on the woman at the other side of the room. Graunty Susan was standing atop the cash register counter, gesturing for the conversation to simmer down. To her left was Pacifica, who was beaming at the crowd. Her right arm was in a sling, and her cast was decorated with numerous names and drawings. Gideon was able to recognize a few people in the crowd – Tyler the Lumberjack, Wendy Corduroy, Newscaster Powers, Cameraman Trigger, a few others. And he may have been seeing things, but he could've sworn he saw 8 ½ President Eustace Befufftlefumpter outside the window, watching the proceedings while nibbling on some birdseed from Graunty Susan's bird feeder.

"There he is!"

Gideon turned his head to see one member of the crowd, who he recognized as the Free Calzone Guy, pointing him out. The crowd turned, and Gideon was flooded by a wave of nervousness at the newfound attention.

"Give 'em a hand!" someone yelled, and the room erupted into applause. Gideon went red, locking in place. His stomach felt small, along with the rest of him.

"Gid!" he heard Pacifica yell, and he snapped to attention. She was smiling at him, gesturing for him to join her and Graunty Susan at the other side of the room. "Get on over here!"

He smiled at his friend and started in her direction. The crowd parted, applauding Gideon all the way to the front of the room. Graunty Susan helped him up to the top of the counter. He took his place next to Pacifica, and Susan whistled to get everyone to quiet down.

"Alright everyone," she started. "With Gideon here, I think we can finally start." The crowd went silent, their attention on Graunty Susan and the kids. "Today, we're here to celebrate the defeat of the Pines Twins!" Susan reached down and picked up two stuffed dolls, each one in the likeness of one of the Pines Twins. The crowd collectively booed.

"No, no. Please." Susan grinned. "Boo harder!" The crowd followed suit, and Susan tossed the dolls behind her. "But I couldn't have done it alone!" She gestured to Pacifica and Gideon. "These two munchkins deserve some of the glory!" Gideon frowned, and Pacifica playfully punched Susan with her good arm.

"Ok, ok." Susan conceded. " **Most** of the glory." She knelt down and put her arms around the kids' shoulders.

Journalist Sprott made his way out of the crowd, holding an old tintype camera on a tripod. Setting up the tripod, he aimed the camera at Susan and the kids.

"Smile for the tintype, everyone." Sprott said. The trio looked at each other – at Sprott's normal pace, taking the picture would take forever.

"No need for that," Newscaster Powers declared, stepping out of the crowd with Cameraman Trigger. Trigger seemed to be weighed down by several bags slung around his shoulders.

"Smile for a **real** camera," Powers remarked. He looked to Trigger, who was nodding along to what he was saying. "Trigger, get out the camera."

"Roger that," Trigger replied, putting down all his camera bags. He knelt down and opened one. "No, not that one." He closed the bag and opened the one next to it. "Not that one." Closing that bag, he opened another bag, this one containing yet another bag inside of it.

"Trigger, the camera." Powers stated, losing his patience. Trigger continued sorting through each of his bags, in search for the right camera. "The camera, Trigger. Trigger? Trigger. The camera…"

"Almost…there…" Sprott declared, still adjusting his tintype.

Graunty Susan, Pacifica, and Gideon looked at each other, trying to hold in their amusement at the situation. They failed.

The trio burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. It felt good, Gideon had to admit. After everything they had all been through the last two weeks, from despondent demon triangles to deranged, power-hungry twins, it was nice to just laugh again. It was something he had missed dearly.

 **Flash!**

"Got it!" Sprott and Trigger exclaimed from behind their cameras. They glared at each other.

"Mine's gonna come out better, boy." Sprott pressed.

"As if, old man!" Trigger retorted.

As they continued to bicker, Gideon shook his head, a grin wide on his face. The newsmen's constant bickering, though normally annoying, was refreshing. A sign that things were getting back to normal.

Well, Gravity Falls normal, anyway.

"Boys, boys!" Graunty Susan interrupted. "I'm sure that both pictures are going to come out great." A mischievous grin grew on her face. "Of course, if a little green was added to the situation, maybe I would be able to say which one is better already…"

Powers, Trigger, and Sprott were digging in their pockets before Susan had finished her sentence.

Gideon chuckled at the situation. _This is all so stupid_ , he thought. He turned to Graunty Susan-

 _and all of a sudden, he was back in the ruins of Gravity Falls, with the ripped-open sky and rubble all around him. Susan was standing before the creature made of space, galaxies, and stars. A cold shudder ran through Gideon._

" _Just do what you're going to do," Graunty Susan said._

" _As you wish," the creature answered, and Graunty Susan was painfully transformed into a form of light before exploding into a thousand tiny pieces. The miniature specks of light were absorbed into the creature, and it stood in triumph._

"Gid?"

 _The creature turned to face Gideon, and his insides went cold._

"Gideon!"

Gideon snapped back to the present. Pacifica was looking at him, concern written all over her face.

"Are you ok?" she asked him. "You looked like you weren't here for a second. And not in a good way."

Gideon shook his head, clearing out the residual images from the vision.

"Yeah!" he answered. He tried to give his friend a convincing smile. "Yeah! I'm ok! Just, uh…just thinkin' about somethin in th' journal!" He hoped Pacifica would take that excuse, though it was evident that she wasn't convinced. She opened her mouth to speak-

"And don't forget about the afterparty!" Graunty Susan declared to the crowd. She held up a flyer. "It's cheap! ish."

Pacifica's face brightened up a bit.

"This conversation isn't over," she told him. She turned to the crowd, and Gideon frowned. He couldn't keep the visions secret from his friend forever…

"The party's going to be amazing!" Pacifica exclaimed. "There'll be lights! Music! Enchantment!" She pulled from her pocket a piece of paper with a drawing of Gideon, Susan, and herself singing together. She held it up for the crowd to see. "And to top it all off, there'll be a special karaoke performance by the three of us, as our famed music group: Passion Patrol Beta!"

Gideon froze. _Karaoke? In front of people?_

"I never agreed to that name," Susan mumbled.

"Beta?" someone from the crowd called. "Why beta?"

"Alpha was already taken, apparently." Pacifica answered. "It's gonna be the best performance you've ever seen!"

The door to the gift shop burst open, and Tambry entered the room with an airhorn. "Come to the party, people!" she exclaimed, honking the horn. "You know you don't have anything important going on in your lives!" The crowd followed her out of the Hut, nodding somewhat in agreement. "I'm taking to you, Calzone Guy! Don't hold out on me!"

After the room cleared out, Graunty Susan got off the counter and helped the kids get down.

Gideon's face was one of panic.

"Karaoke?" he asked. "'Cifica! You know ah don't like singin' in front of other people!"

Pacifica turned to her friend.

"Oh, c'mon Gid!" she pleaded. "We're celebrating defeating the Pines! And what better way to do that than with lyrical magic!" She put her good hand on his shoulder. "I've heard you sing. You'll do great!"

Gideon still wasn't convinced.

"Please, Gid?" Pacifica begged. She gave him a sad puppy dog face, and Gideon inwardly groaned.

"I'll…I'll think about it, 'Cifica." He responded. Her face instantaneously changed to one of happiness.

"I'll take it," Pacifica said.

"Just be glad that the party's all you got to worry about, kid." Graunty Susan stated, looking out the window and smiling to herself. "Now that the Pines Twins are locked up like the little gremlins they are, things should be getting pretty good around here."

 _If only that were true_ , Gideon thought to himself. Then a thought came to mind.

"Graunty Susan," Gideon began. "Ah've been meaning to ask you, can I have mah journal back?"

Susan stiffened for a second. She turned to Gideon, her smile gone.

"The journal?" she asked. Then a smile reappeared on her face, and she laughed. "Oh, right, this thing!" She knelt down and reached under the counter, pulling out the red volume. At the sight of the journal, Gideon flooded with relief.

"It was so boring that I couldn't finish it," Susan continued, holding the book out to him. Gideon hesitantly took it.

"So…" he said. "Yer givin' it back to me? Just like that?"

"Yeah," Susan replied, shrugging. "What, do you want me to keep it?"

Gideon shook his head.

"No, no…" he answered. "Thanks, Graunty Susan." With the book back in his hands, Gideon felt a new sense of determination. The mystery of the Author wouldn't solve itself, and if he was going to change the future, he needed to get to work.

"Uh, 'Cifica," Gideon asked. "Would you mind accompanying me upstairs?" He gestured to the journal. "We have some things to discuss."

* * *

 **AN: And thus, Season 2 begins!**

 **Please leave a review if you liked the chapter!**


	6. 6-Denial (Scary-Oke Part 2)

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is a couple of days late. School things needed to happen, so I wasn't able to do my weekly update last Thursday. I'm going to try to keep a weekly update schedule going, but it's likely that I'll get delayed more in the future. So if that happens, I'm sorry in advance.**

 **Also, I have another fanfic idea in the works, this one being a Gravity Falls take on the CW Flash TV show. So if you are interested, keep an eye out. It may become a thing soon, maybe even...faster...than you think (Speed jokes :) I'm trying, everyone).**

 **As usual, Gravity Falls is not mine, and the original Reverse Pines AU idea was invented by someone who is not me.**

* * *

 *****Previously on Reverse Falls: Darkness on the Horizon*****

 _"What…what was all that?" Gideon asked._

 _"What you just observed was a small glimpse into the future," Will stated. "Don't ever say I never gave you anything."_

 _"Can it be stopped? Can we do sumthin' t' make sure those horrid things don't happen?"_

 ** _..._**

 _"No, no…" he answered. "Thanks, Graunty Susan." With the book back in his hands, Gideon felt a new sense of determination. The mystery of the Author wouldn't solve itself, and if he was going to change the future, he needed to get to work._

 _"Uh, 'Cifica," Gideon asked. "Would you mind accompanying me upstairs?" He gestured to the journal. "We have some things to discuss."_

* * *

"So we're looking for the Author?" Pacifica inquired, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Gideon nodded. After his request to meet Pacifica upstairs, the friends had relocated to the attic, where Gideon had gone into a rant about all the mysteries they had yet to solve by the summer's end. Chief among them was the mystery of the Author's identity. Gideon had described in great detail his theories and ideas, making sure to leave out in all of this the visions given to him by Will Cypher. He trusted Pacifica with his life, but he wasn't ready to divulge that piece of information just yet.

"Ah can't help but feel that that mystery will somehow be the key to solving all the others," he responded. He gestured to the journal, which he clutched in his left hand. "Whoever the Author is, they wrote this and the two other journals, if such things really exist. He or she knows more about this town than, well, probably anyone else."

Pacifica looked stared at the journal, slowly nodding her head.

"Ok," she began. Her eyes gravitated up to Gideon. "I'll help you on this."

Gideon smiled.

"Starting tomorrow." She finished.

Gideon's smile disappeared.

"But 'Cifica," Gideon pleaded, "This is perhaps the most important mystery we've ever solved! Maybe the most important mystery in the history of mysteries! And we only have half a summer to solve it!"

"Gid," Pacifica responded, standing up. "This mystery isn't going anywhere. It'll be ready for us to tackle tomorrow. Today's supposed to be about celebrating defeating the Pines Twins. We **earned** this. Can't we just take a day to enjoy ourselves?"

Gideon's slumped his shoulders, defeated.

"Ah guess," he recanted.

"Oh, c'mon Gid," Pacifica assured, smiling. "You'll have fun, I promise." She nudged him with her good arm. "Maybe you can even get in a dance or two with Tambry."

Gideon blushed. "Let's…let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said.

* * *

It was late afternoon. Business was slow in the Hut, with only a few customers browsing through the gift shop. With Tambry promoting the party around town and getting some last-minute supplies, Robbie was left to man the cash register, with Susan checking in every now and then to gage the day's profits. Gideon and Pacifica were using the time to make posters for the party, drawing on dark pieces of paper with glow-in-the-dark markers.

"These are going to blow people's minds," Pacifica declared confidently, admiring the finished products they had produced.

"They **do** look mighty fine," Gideon concurred.

"That's a total understatement, dorks." Robbie said from behind the counter. "You should totally, like, pursue an art career or something."

Gideon shook his head.

"Not my gift, ah'm afraid," he responded, gesturing to Pacifica. "She'd do great, though. She's even had her work publicly displayed before." At that last comment, Pacifica seemed to freeze up a bit.

"Really?" Robbie inquired, his interest piqued. Pacifica hesitantly nodded. "That's awesome!"

"Oh, it was nothing," Pacifica stated, rubbing her arm. Her face was a mixture of modesty and nervousness. "Just a little local event. Not too much of a big deal."

"Are you kidding me?" Gideon remarked. "Not too much of a big deal? You were hyped fer weeks!"

Pacifica stayed silent, going back to work on another poster. Gideon frowned.

"Is something wrong, 'Cifica?" he asked, concern apparent in his voice.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

 _This isn't like her..._ Gideon thought.

"Hey, Ms. Pennyworth?" Robbie called, frowning as he glanced out the window. "What's the codeword I'm supposed to say when I see a government vehicle?"

"Government vehicle?" Susan asked, looking up from an issue of _Cheapskate Monthly_. Frowning, she moved next to Robbie and peered out the window. Her good eye widened, and she barreled from the counter over to the Murder Hut's intercom system.

"Oh no!" she shouted, reaching the small intercom box attached to the wall. She pressed the button, speaking into the system.

"The Murder Hut is now closed!" she declared. "Everyone out! I will **not** hesitate to use the hose on the elderly!"

The room cleared out pretty quickly with that last comment. Gideon and Pacifica frowned, approaching Susan from the side.

"What's going on, Graunty Susan?" Pacifica inquired.

"Yeah," Gideon added. "You never close the Murder Hut this early."

Before Susan could respond, a knock emanated from the door. Susan straitened the fez on her head and patted down her skirt.

"Everyone be cool!" she stammered, approaching the door. She took in a breath, seemed to utter a small prayer, and opened the door to two well-built men wearing suits and dark sunglasses. The taller of the two had dark skin, short black hair, and the signs of a scar slightly visible around his left eye. The shorter one had lighter skin, dirty blonde bangs, and a cleft in his chin. A serious expression lined both of their faces.

"Welcome to the Murder Hut!" Susan stated nervously. "A land of mystery! Suspense! And the cheapest of entry fees! Probably." She took two items from her pockets, showing them to the stern men. "What can I get for you gentlemen? Blood rain snow globes? Axe-murderer keychains?" She pocketed the items and pulled a dollar bill from her sleeve. "These rare photos of dead American Presidents?" She gave them a cheeky smile.

The man looked unfazed.

"I'm Agent Dundgren," the taller one spoke. He gestured to his partner. "This is Agent Lolph. We're conducting an investigation into possible abnormal activity taking place in the area."

"Abnormal activity?" Susan asked, starting to sweat. "In the Murder Hut? You've got to be joking!"

"Absolutely not," Dundgren stated. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we're conducting an investigation here." He brushed past Susan to enter the Murder Hut, Lolph following behind him.

"Yeah!" Lolph concurred. "A time-sensitive investigation!"

The two agents began to inspect the gift shop, checking under bobble-heads and poking at baseball caps. Lolph moved over to the counter and began to examine Robbie's face, stroking his chin in contemplation. Robbie stood there, his discomfort evident under Lolph's withering stare.

"So…" Robbie said as Lolph shined a light in his pupils. "Lolph and Dundgren. What kind of names are those?"

"That's classified," Lolph replied, shutting off his small flashlight. "Under article 618 of the code of Nunya."

"Nunya?" Robbie inquired.

"Nunya business!" Lolph shot back. Both he and Dundgren bust into a small fit of chuckles.

"Masterfully executed, partner." Dundgren stated.

"Thanks," Lolph replied, giving Dundgren a small high five. He pointed at Robbie. "Also, it'll warrant further investigation, but I think that one might be a vampire."

Robbie frowned.

As the agents continued their investigation, Gideon observed them with a critical eye. He wasn't sure whether to be nervous that _federal agents_ were in the Murder Hut gift shop…or to be completely taken aback by their behavior. He inwardly shrugged. Maybe all federal agents acted like this.

Then a lightbulb went off in his head.

These agents were here to investigate abnormal activity in Gravity Falls. There was an actual _federal investigation_ seeking the same answers that he was. If he could just get them to listen to him…if he could just get to _work_ with them…who could predict all the secrets they could all uncover together?

And then there was the visons. Gideon hadn't seen any indication that the federal government was involved with anything he had seen in the future. If he could get their help, then maybe, just maybe, the horrid future he had seen wouldn't come to pass.

Maybe this meant that there could be a happy ending for everyone after all.

"So," Gideon spoke up, getting their attention. "Yer investigating abnormal activity in Gravity Falls?"

Dundgren looked around, as if trying to find something that might be watching them.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that information," he replied, kneeling down to Gideon's level. "But yes."

 _So much for 'not at liberty.'_

"Listen," Dundgren stated, directly facing him. Gideon could see his own reflection in Dundgren's sunglasses. My, he looked so puny. "Recent evidence suggests that there may be some sort of conspiracy going on in this town. My partner and I are here to get to the bottom of it."

 _Here goes nuthin_.

"You know," Gideon started. "Me an' my friend have been doin' some investigatin of our own, and we've turned up quite a few things that might be of interest to you."

Lolph and Dundgren exchanged a look.

"If you have any evidence to support these claims," Dundgren stated, pulling out a card from his pocket and handing it to Gideon. "we should talk." The card displayed the symbol of and eagle holding a magnifying glass to its eye. On the bottom was a phone number.

"Why wait?" Gideon asked enthusiastically. They were actually _believing_ him. "We can start right now! See, there's this journal-"

Graunty Susan let out a big laugh and stepped in front of Gideon, cutting him off.

"Don't mind the kid," Susan said to the agents. "He's got quite the imagination. And a bit of a sweating problem to boot."

"Graunty Susan!" Gideon cried.

"Trust me, gentlemen." Susan pressed. "If there was anything off about this town, I would know about it."

Dundgren stood, straitening his suit jacket.

"We best be off on our way anyway," he stated. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of time to do it." At those last few words, he shot a glance at his partner, as if there was some sort of underlying joke. Lolph gave him a small smile.

Dundgren turned and walked out the door. Lolph began to follow suit, giving Robbie a small stare.

"I'm on to you, vampire boy." he declared, scooping up a bunch of novelty watches as he continued to make his way to the door. "And I'm confiscating these for evidence!"

"Good call," Dundgren affirmed.

As soon as the federal agents had left, Gideon turned his focus to Susan.

"Graunty Susan!" he exclaimed. "What was all that for?"

Susan sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Look, kid." she started. "I'm sorry about those last comments. But there's no point leading on those agents when there's nothing for them to investigate."

"Yes, there is!" Gideon pressed. "If you could just see everything that goes on around here!"

"All I'm seeing," Susan stated. "is that you need to get your head out of the clouds." She snatched the card from Gideon's hands and, despite his protests, pocketed it. "Now, you're not calling those agents. **Ever**. Got it?"

Gideon turned away from her, feeling frustrated, embarrassed, and defeated.

"I said," Susan pressed. "Got it?"

"Gaht it, Graunty Susan." Gideon finally managed. Susan stared at him for a second, then walked out of the room.

"Now everyone get back to work!" she called behind her. "This party's not going to put itself together!"

Pacifica turned to her friend, taking note of the red on his face. She gave him a small smile.

"C'mon Gid," she encouraged, taking a seat back with the posters. "Let's finish these things up."

Gideon gave her a small nod, lost in his thoughts. How could Susan be so blind, after living in Gravity Falls for who knows how long? It wasn't like the weird things in this town were trying to keep a low profile. The lumberjacks knew about the Hide-Behind. The Summerween Trickster had haunted Gravity Falls for _years_. Heck, the entire town had seen him slow down a harpoon projectile with the Pines Twins' amulet. He had gotten lucky with that – the harpoon would've killed him otherwise.

Yet, with all the evidence to the contrary, Graunty Susan still believed Gravity Falls was an average, ordinary town. And likely would until her dying day.

 _Ah'm callin' those agents_ , Gideon thought to himself. Even if the visions were false, he just wanted to prove Graunty Susan _wrong_. Once they found something, she'd have to admit that he was right. That there _was_ something to all the mysteries surrounding Gravity Falls.

She'd taken the card so that he wouldn't call the feds. But she had forgotten, as most did, about his quiet resolve.

That, and his photographic memory.


	7. 7-Sunset (Scary-Oke Part 3)

**Author's Note: Hello all! I"M BAAAAAAACK!**

 **College has been keeping me busy for a while now, so I haven't had the time to write or type that I used to. Fortunately, the semester is almost over, and I was able to put together this longer chapter to share with you!**

 **Just a side note before we begin. The characters of Ariel and Michelle, who will be appearing in this chapter, are the reverse versions of Pacifica's friends from the canon universe. Ariel is the one with purple hair and Michelle is the one with dark hair.**

 **As per the norm, Gravity Falls is not mine, and the Reverse Pines idea was originally created by someone else.**

* * *

 *****Previously on Reverse Falls: Darkness on the Horizon*****

 _Another pause. "Then there's no time to waste. When can we meet?"_

 _"I'm throwing a victory party tomorrow for the kids. Should be a good cover for us to slip away at some point."_

 _"Understood. I'll see you tomorrow, then."_

 _"See you tomorrow." Susan hung up the phone, sitting back in her chair._

 _..._

 _"Not my gift, ah'm afraid," he responded, gesturing to Pacifica. "She'd do great, though. She's even had her work publicly displayed before." At that last comment, Pacifica seemed to freeze up a bit._

 _"Really?" Robbie inquired, his interest piqued. Pacifica hesitantly nodded. "That's awesome!"_

 _"Oh, it was nothing," Pacifica stated, rubbing her arm. Her face was a mixture of modesty and nervousness. "Just a little local event. Not too much of a big deal."_

 _"Are you kidding me?" Gideon remarked. "Not too much of a big deal? You were hyped fer weeks!"_

 _Pacifica stayed silent, going back to work on another poster._

 _..._

Ah'm callin' those agents _, Gideon thought to himself. Even if the visions were false, he just wanted to prove Graunty Susan wrong. Once they found something, she'd have to admit that he was right. That there was something to all the mysteries surrounding Gravity Falls._

 _She'd taken the card so that he wouldn't call the feds. But she had forgotten, as most did, about his quiet resolve._

 _That, and his photographic memory._

* * *

Night couldn't come quick enough for Pacifica.

Now, Pacifica Northwest had never been known as the "party girl." She wasn't all that popular in Piedmont, and didn't exactly get along with those who did bear that title. So her party experience didn't exactly fit a portfolio.

But whenever she did have a party, she always made the most of every moment. And she had been waiting for this one all week.

Yet, instead of surveying the decked-out party area she had spent the last couple of hours putting together, she found herself in front of the mailbox, waiting for the mailman to make his final rounds before the sun completely set.

It wasn't like she had woken up that day wanting to wait for the mail. In fact, most days she considered something like this a waste of time. There were so many things one could do that were more interesting than waiting by a mailbox for mail that may or may not come. She could think of twelve off the top of her head.

But what Gideon had said earlier had reminded her of something, something that she had been trying not to think about for much of the summer. And for the most part, she had succeeded. After all, she had had plenty of time to worry about it later.

Summer was half over.

There wasn't much time left.

The sun was lowering in the sky, and the horizon was illuminated with a beautiful pinkish/orangish glow. Pacifica took a minute to take the scene in. A light breeze blew through the trees, lightly brushing her skin and moving through her hair. She let out a long breath. Silently, she thanked whatever god was out there for the serene scene. She still had knots in her stomach, but at least for the moment she could work to ignore them.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she could make out the form of the mailman slowly making his way up the road, and the knots tightened. Her hand began to tap her thigh in an attempt to release some of the nervous tension inside her. She took on another breath.

 _It wouldn't come today,_ Pacifica reassured herself. _There's still half a summer left. It'll all be fine. It'll all be fine._

After what seemed like an eternity, the mailman finished his approach to the mailbox. Judging by his face, not many people had waited for him by their mailboxes before. His brows were furrowed in confusion.

"Hello there," the man spoke, taking some letters out of his worn-out mailbag. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Pacifica bit her lip. She pointed to the small bundle of envelopes that the man clutched in his hand.

"Is that our mail?" she asked.

"Well, considering that I'm delivering it to your house, I should hope so." he replied in a semi-sarcastic manner.

"Could…could you read what they are to me?" she pushed. The mailman's frown deepened.

"Couldn't you just take them and find that out for yourself?" he inquired, holding out the envelopes to her.

"Please?" Pacifica pleaded. The man glanced at her for a second, then sighed, rolling his eyes and mumbling something about this being his last stop. He brought the letters in front of his face and cleared his throat.

"Let's see," he began. "Bill, bill, bill, advertisement, bill, political advertisement, bill, bill, and last but not least…"

The man paused, carefully examining the lase envelope in his possession. Pacifica's eyes widened. Was it here? Already?

"What so you know?" the man said. "Another bill." He shook his head, returning the envelope to the small stack he held in his other hand. Some of the nervous energy that had been building in Pacifica seeped out of her.

 _No, not here. Not yet._

"Was there a point to all this?" the mailman asked, once again holding out the mail to her. She opened her mouth to respond-

"Pacifica!"

Pacifica glanced in the direction of the new voice, her face brightening up after she saw where it had come from. Walking down the road were none other than Ariel and Michelle, both dressed for a good time. Michelle was in a flowing knee-length purple-pink dress, with colorful sandals on her feet and a red band in her dark hair. Ariel wore a shirt that exposed part of her left shoulder, where a blue strap was visible. From the waist-down she had on jeans and high heels. Both wore huge smiles on their faces, clearly happy to see their friend.

"Girls!" Pacifica squealed in delight. She rushed over to the duo, leaving the mailman at the mailbox.

"Hey!" he called after her, gesturing toward the envelopes he held in his hand. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

The girl ignored him, reaching her friends and gushing about their outfits. The man grumbled, opening the mailbox and inserting the collection of papers into it.

"Kids," he mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"Welcome," Pacifica declared, gesturing with her good arm to the large outdoor area. "to party-palooza!"

Amazed expressions grew on the faces of Ariel and Michelle as they took it all in. The entire front yard of the Murder Hut had been transformed into a brightly colored party scene. The pavilion was littered with streamers and balloons, with a large, wide open space left in the middle for dancing purposes. The entire space was closed off at the sides by long tables with white tablecloths draped over them. The tables were covered with all manner of party food – chips, marshmallows, cookies of all kinds, liters of soda, a punch bowl – the list of went on. Overlooking the plot of land were several wires of multicolored lights that spanned the distance between the Murder Hut and the pine trees located at the outskirts of the property. The darkness of night was falling overhead, causing the multicolored lights to flood the whole area in a dazzling display of illuminated color.

"Well?" Pacifica inquired, a grin spreading on her face as she observed the expressions on her compatriots. "What do you think?"

"Its…" Ariel began. "It's just…wow. Just…wow."

Pacifica raised an eyebrow. "So, does this mean that you couldn't have done it better?" she asked.

"Oh, no." Ariel said definitively. "I could probably think of a few dozen ways to enlarge the area while still making it look great. But it's good for what it is."

Pacifica chuckled. "I'll out-design you one day, Ariel. Mark my words, one day you'll meet your match."

"Don't count on it." Ariel shot her a sly grin.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Michelle exclaimed, pointing towards a pink, bulky device located on the Murder Hut's porch. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Pacifica asked, motioning for her friends to follow her. Together, they approached the slab of machinery. It was about ¾ Pacifica's height, having a generally box-like shape with two purple tubes jutting out of its sides. It was decorated with small stars all over it, and in the center was a large screen currently lit up with a long list of song titles. Under the screen was a set of buttons, and a set of microphones with long cords jutted out of the bottom.

"A karaoke machine?!" Michelle squealed.

"With an updated playlist and everything!" Pacifica pointed out. She began to scroll through the song options available on the screen. "We've got _Chop Away At My Heart_ by the Lumberzachs, _Just Friends_ by Love Sentence, _Into the Unknown_ by Jason Funderburker-"

"Does it have any musical numbers?" Michelle asked.

Pacifica frowned.

"Uh, maybe." she responded. "I'll check." Pacifica began to extensively scan through the songs on the machine.

"Anything from 'In the Lows?' 'Vertically-Present to Normal?' 'Specter of the Theatre?'"

"It's not looking like it…"

"'Big Cat Monarch?' 'Green Witch That's Wicked but Actually Not?'"

"Uh…"

Michelle's face was looking more and more desperate. "'Rapping Founding Father?'"

Pacifica bit her lip. "Sorry," she said. "Nothing."

Michelle's shoulder's slumped. "Nothing from Musical Theatre? Nothing at all?"

"No…" Pacifica started. Suddenly, her face lit up, and she stopped scrolling. "Oh, wait! There's one!"

"Yes!" Michelle exclaimed, pumping her fist. "What's it from?"

"'Secondary School Musical,'" Pacifica replied.

Michelle gave herself a facepalm. "Real art is unappreciated in its time," she mumbled. Ariel placed her hand on Michelle's shoulder.

"Cheer up, Michelle." Ariel told her. "I'll pull up _Times of Non-Hate_ on my phone, and we can sing that together. Deal?"

"Yeah," Michelle conceded. "Ok."

* * *

"Hey Gideon, check it out!"

Tambry turned on the blacklight above them and smiled. The blacklight created an odd-looking glowing effect in her eyes and teeth, as well as brought to light the colorful illustrations on the poster they had just put up.

"It's like a crime scene in my mouth!" Tambry elaborated enthusiastically.

Gideon smiled, trying to fight back the nervous feeling building in his stomach. They had spent the last fifteen minutes putting up the posters that Gideon and Pacifica had spent part of the day making. Doing this with Tambry would have made him anxious enough, but he had been using those fifteen minutes to work up the courage to ask her something. And with the sky finally dark, and guests starting to arrive, he realized that his window was almost gone.

If he was going to do this, he needed to do it now.

"Hey, Tambry?" he began. "Can ah…um…"

Tambry looked at him, adjusting her glasses in the process. Gideon found the action cute, which didn't help his resolve.

"Can ah…borrow yer phone?"

"Sure thing," Tambry replied, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her smartphone. "What do you need it for?"

"Oh, it's really nothing," Gideon answered, nervously rubbing his hands together. Tambry picked up on the action, and frowned.

"You're not calling those agents, are you?" she inquired, her brows furrowing.

"What?" Gideon exclaimed. "How did you know about that?"

"Robbie called me after the incident," Tambry explained. "He told me that things got pretty heated between you and Susan, and that she didn't want you calling them."

"Oh, it's not for that, it's…" Gideon stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck and not meeting Tambry's full gaze. "It's…uh…mah parents! They, uh, want me to check-in every once and a while. You know, after the harpoon incident."

Tambry looked at him for a couple of seconds, as if contemplating whether or not to trust him. Gideon gulped. Would she see right through him?

Eventually, Tambry conceded, handing him the phone. He thanked her, but before he left to make the call, Tambry put her hand on his shoulder. He finally met her gaze, staring into her enchanting brown eyes.

"Just…" she started, visibly trying to find the right words. "Just don't take too long with the call, Gideon. This party is for you and Pacifica. Celebrating the two of you not **dying** last week. You should take the time to enjoy it."

A twinge of guilt struck Gideon. He nodded. Tambry smiled at him, then went to go join the teen gang, who had just appeared at the Hut. Gideon watched her go, a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings flooding through him. For a second, he contemplated just staying here, just joining the party and letting his frustrations and fears leave him for the night. Absent-mindedly, he touched his jacket, feeling the familiar weight of the journal.

No, he had to do this. To prove the existence of the town's anomalies to Graunty Susan. To prove to Will that the future could be changed.

And, if he was honest, he had a thing or two to prove to himself as well.

Gideon walked away from the decorated clearing, dialing the agents' number as he approached the dark woods in front of him.

* * *

The party was in full swing.

Many of the town's residents had shown up, packing the dance floor and its surrounding area. At the center of the dancers was Lee and Nate engaging in a dance battle, attempting to out-do each other with the most over-the-top dance moves-if you could call them that. The entire thing looked pretty dorky, but crowd cheered them on even still. Sherriff Jimenez and Deputy Determined were pouring their lungs into _Don't Start Unbelieving_. Determined, despite his normally unimpressive voice, had a surprising talent for rock. Sherriff Jimenez…didn't. The snacks were back to getting devoured at a constant rate by partygoers, after having been interrupted earlier by Mr. Poolcheck flipping over several tables and shouting "anarchy" over and over again. Wendy had chased him off with her guitar; it had been quite the fearsome sight.

Pacifica was at the punch bowl, taking a break from all the dancing, singing, and mingling she had done for the past hour. To her own surprise, she was actually happy that he had needed this break. It showed that this party had been well worth the wait.

As she drank the cold, fruity punch, she allowed herself to relax. She hadn't felt this peaceful in weeks, and she welcomed the change. For once, it was nice to just sit back at a party without being chased by a monster or uncovering interesting facts about the town. Admittedly, it was how she had originally wanted her entire summer to go; just having fun and normal times with her best friend in the whole world.

Speaking of which, where was he?

Before she could scan the party for her friend, a voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Well, howdy do! If it isn't the girl of the hour?"

Pacifica turned to see none other than Park Ranger McGucket, dressed in full uniform, approaching her. He wore a smile on his face, and was tipping the brim of his large hat to her.

"Hello, Mr. McGucket!" Pacifica greeted. "Have you come to join the party?"

"Unfortunately, no." McGucket replied. "Ah've still got plenty of work to do tonight, but ah figured that I would swing by and see how things were goin' down around here." He stroked his long, straightened beard. "Hey, you haven't seen your Graunty Susan around here, have you?"

"I think she went inside," Pacifica told him. "Said something about treating a headache." She cracked a small smile. "Why?"

"Oh, ah've just got to talk to her about something." McGucket said. "It's nothing' much, really."

"Wait a minute." Pacifica's smile had grown into a full-blown grin. "Mr. McGucket, do you like Graunty Susan?"

"What?!" McGucket exclaimed. "No! We're just old friends! Nothin' more."

"Uh huh." Pacifica said, not believing him for a second. "And you just happened to swing by to see her?"

"It's not…" McGucket sighed, rubbing his eyes. "It's not that, ah can assure you."

"Keep denying it to yourself," Pacifica pressed, elbowing him with her good arm.

"Oh, by the way," McGucket started, changing the subject. "Ah've been meanin' to apologize for that whole 'Abominable Bro-Man' incident my son put you and your friends through. Ah gave him a talkin' to afterwards, and ah can assure you it won't happen again."

Pacifica nodded, remembering that afternoon that she, Gideon, and Robbie abandoned their Graunty's camp site to go looking for the Abominable Bro-Man. After finding the creature and getting chased by it, they had managed to trap it and take a multitude of pictures, only to discover that the thing had just been a robotic suit operated by Tate McGucket. Looking back on it now, Pacifica realized that it had actually been one of their more _normal_ days of the summer.

"Well, ah best be findin' Susan." McGucket declared, starting to walk away.

"For purely professional reasons!" he hastily added, shooting her a sideways glance.

"Hey, Mr. McGucket?" Pacifica called after him. The old man stopped, turning back to face her.

"Your son..." she began. "He only did what he did because he wanted your attention. It was a weird and kind of messed up way of doing it, but it's true. He doesn't feel like you've been giving him the time of day. He just wants to spend time with his dad."

McGucket looked at the ground, visibly deep in thought. He shuffled his feet.

"Ah…ah know," he said eventually, sighing. "Things with me are…complicated. Ah've been throwing myself into my work fer years, and ah know ah should have been there for him a lot more than ah have been." He met her glance. "Ah'll…ah'lll make it right."

Pacifica nodded, and McGucket gave her a genuine smile.

"Yer a good person, Ms. Northwest," he said. "Ah can tell that great things are in store for you."

He turned, walking to the entrance of the Murder Hut.

"If you survive what's coming, that is." he added under his breath.

* * *

Despite it being in the middle of summer, it was cold out.

Gideon shivered in the brisk breeze, clutching the journal to his chest. He had to admit, meeting the agents in the forest in the middle of the night had not been one of his better ideas. Aside from the cold, there were noises in the forest, and Gideon could never tell which ones were real and which ones were in his head. Not for the first time, he wished he was back at the party. Everyone would be there by now, and though the packed dance floor would make him uncomfortable, at least the combined body heat would keep him warm. He silently berated himself for wearing a sleeveless jacket. Sure, it worked during the day, but nighttime? With a breeze? In the middle of the forest?

Obviously, he had not been the best decision maker today.

He pulled the jacket closer to his body, surveying the area behind him. Of course, nothing had changed since the last time he had looked. Same stiff trees swaying in the wind. Same darkened sky. Same creepy door in the middle of nowhere. Same ankle-length grass…

Wait. Creepy door in the middle of nowhere?

Gideon stared at the door that stood a couple of yards to his left. It was a light wooden door with its frame intact around it. Gideon hadn't noticed it when he had arrived. Could it have materialized out of thin air?

There was a small pair of markings near the top of the door, in the area where a peephole would normally be. Gideon approached the door, squinting to make out the markings. Finally, when he was about a yard from the door, he could make out the markings as numbers. One number, specifically.

13.

Gideon's eyes widened. Could it be? He opened his journal, flipping through the volume. He had read about these things before, but he had never actually _seen_ one. Finding the page he was looking for, he glanced between the door and the entry, verifying what he had suspected.

Sitting in front of him, in the middle of the wood, was a cursed door.

A million questions popped into Gideon's head all at once. What was it doing here? Where did it lead? Why would it appear now? How-

The wooded area began to fill with light, and the crunching sound of tires on dirt and twigs filled Gideon's ears. He turned to see the government vehicle Robbie had pointed out earlier pull up close to him. The engine shut off, and Agents Lolph and Dundgren exited the vehicle, walking towards the 10-year old.

"Guys!" Gideon exclaimed, leaving the door and turning to meet the agents. "Thanks fer comin'! This town is a treasure trove of weird stuff, but if we work together, ah think we can get to the bottom of it."

Dundgren and Lolph exchanged glances, their faces not giving anything away. A wave of nervousness flooded through Gideon.

"Uh, here!" he said, holding out the journal. Dundgren took it, looking through the pages as Gideon continued. "This documents many of the abnormal creatures and happenings of Gravity Falls. Ah don't know who wrote it, and there are still mysteries in it that ah haven't unlocked yet, but it should help to start an official investigation." A random thought popped into Gideon's head. "Do you guys have a helicopter? Oh wait, sorry. Helicop **ters**."

"Kid," Dundgren started. "I'd like to believe you. But this just seems like more junk form your guardian's gift shop. Minus a fake blood stain or two."

Gideon's stomach deflated.

"I mean, really." Dundgren continued, gesturing to a page in the journal. It bore the illustration of a winged woman with large glasses and a math book. "A S.I.-ren? I can't be the only one who thinks that's not funny."

"Definitely not funny," Lolph confirmed.

"Your guardian was right about that overactive imagination of yours," Dundgren said, handing Gideon back the book. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have another informant to consult."

"Do you really think that that **thing** will give us anything new?" Lolph asked.

"It's a better lead than what we have here," Dundgren replied, turning to go. Lolph began to follow Dundgren to the car, leaving Gideon behind.

 _No!_ He couldn't just watch them walk away like this! He had betrayed the trust of more than one friend tonight, and all because he had believed that these men would take him at face-value. Why wouldn't they believe him? What did he need to do to make them believe him?

The journal. The journal had to have _something_.

"Wait!" Gideon called, flipping through the pages. Barf Fairies? No. Truth-telling teeth? No. Finally, Gideon found some sort of spell. Without hesitation, he began to utter the chant.

"Uh…Corpus Levitas! Diablo Dominium! **Mando Vicium**!"

A howling wind tore through the area. The agents halted their trek to the car, glancing around at their surroundings.

The earth suddenly shook, causing the trio to scramble for their footing. A deep, moaning sound emanated from the ground and mixed with the howling wind to create a deafening noise. Then, the earth a few yards away from Gideon cracked open, neon green light and gas spilling out of the newly-created fissure. To everyone's shock and amazement, a sickly, gnarled arm shot out of the fissure. It dug into the ground, pulling out a grotesque humanoid figure. It had an opening in its chest, rendering its dirty ribs visible. The thing's eyes had no pupils, and shone as brightly as a pair of lightbulbs. It continued to pull itself forward, slowly inching toward the group.

"Ah zombie!" Gideon exclaimed, pointing the corpse-like figure out to the agents. "A real, actual live zombie! Now do you believe me?"

Lolph and Dundgren could only stare in shock at the monstrosity before them.

"Guys?" Gideon asked. "It's…It's not that bad. Ah run into stuff like this all the time-"

The boy was interrupted by a loud snarl coming from right next to him. He turned to see that the zombie had closed the distance between them, and was reaching for him with its rotted hand.

Gideon's blood ran cold. He screamed, holding up the book in defense. Then a pair of arms came down, smashing the creature's head with a rock. The zombie collapsed, its body once again devoid of life.

Gideon looked up to see Agent Dundgren above him. In his hands was the rock, which was now partially decorated with small zombie bits. Agent Lolph ran up behind his partner.

"Whew!" Gideon exclaimed, wiping his forehead. "Good thing there was just one of them, right guys?"

As if on cue, the earth shook once more, this time with greater intensity. Several more fissures broke through the ground, each emanating a green light and gas and depositing a small group of zombies into the world. The undead army slowly arose, inching towards Gideon and the agents.

"Uh, guys?" Gideon managed. "You can handle this, right?"

"Kid," Dundgren said, a determined look spreading on his face as he pulled out a sidearm. "We've handled anomalies all over the world." His composure faltered. "But we've never faced anything like this before!"

"Look out!" Lolph cried, firing two bullets into the zombie closest to Dundgren. A small group of zombies grabbed Lolph from behind, pulling him to the ground and ripping his gun away from him.

"Lolph!" Dundgren shouted, firing a couple of rounds into the zombies around his partner. A zombie came behind him, smashing him to the ground. Before Dundgren could get back up, several zombies reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the depths of the dark forest. The zombies who had Lolph in their clutches followed suit. The men's screams echoed through the wood long after Gideon could no longer see them.

Gideon looked around him, facing the zombie horde that he had just unleashed, and did the only thing that he could do.

He made a break for it.

As wind whipped past his face, Gideon could hear the zombies following him. All he could think about was the grave mistake that he had made. And how the heck he was going to survive the night.

* * *

 **AN: Gideon! What did you dooooo?**

 **I have no idea when the next chapter will be coming, but I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. I'm also working on another story at the same time, so I have to find a way to split the time I do get between the two.**

 **Until next time!**


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